SWABI, Oct 16: A central leader of Pakistan-Afghanistan Defence Council, Maulana Hamdullah, said on Monday that the Taliban militia was eagerly looking forward to the launching of ground assault by the US forces.

Talking to newsmen here, Maulana Hamdullah, who is a teacher at the Madressah Farooqia, Kabul, said that thousands of volunteers from different Muslim countries were ready to fight along with the Taliban forces.

Maulana Hamdullah was in Kabul when the allied forces launched airstrikes on Taliban bases on October 7.

He said that the US and allied forces had planned to launch a massive ground assault after eight days of intense bombing.

He said that the ground invasion would prove a real test for the allied forces as they would suffer heavy casualties.

“Taliban have unwavering faith in Allah. They have grown up under the shadows of guns; they are the masters of guerrilla war,” he said, adding that they would never hand over Osama bin Laden to Washington as it was against the norms of Pakhtoon culture.

“I saw 50 cruise missiles fired on Afghanistan on the first night and of 24 did not explode, while the Taliban have secured 60 unexploded missiles which they would use against the allied forces,” the Taliban teacher said.

About the role of Organization of Islamic Conference, he said being in the clutches of the US and its allies, the dilemma of Muslim rulers was that they wanted to remain in power with the support of Washington.

He claimed that the imposition of ban on Kashmiri freedom fighters and the freezing of assets of Jaish-i-Muhammad was also an American and Zionist agenda.

Maulana Hamdullah demanded immediate release of religious leaders arrested during protest demonstrations in different parts of the country.

Predicting cracks in the ranks of Northern Alliance, the Maulana said that the majority of the Northern Alliance forces would join the Taliban ranks.

Maulana Hamdullah also opposed the visit of US Foreign Secretary Colin Powell to Islamabad, saying that the America wanted to use Pakistan as a tool in its power game.